A pleasant surprise of a book!

Forty-second book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge.

Oh my god! What a beautiful story! Poignant, sweet and for some reason, makes one nostalgic too. I did not believe that a spiritual allegory like this one could move me so much. But it has: through its simple stories with so much depth, it has made me wonder about life and happiness; some of the most difficult questions that we face. I guess that is how it is, sometimes, the most difficult questions have the simplest answers.

This is a translation that I read, nevertheless, the language was so exquisite and free-flowing that I found I could quote the entire book line by line. It was poetic and just beautiful. I wasn’t so sure that I would be so enthralled by this book when I took it up, but I loved every bit of it. Unlike other books of this genre, it wasn’t pedantic or overbearing at all, neither was it too metaphorical or full of mystique (mysticism makes me nauseous) but it delights with adorable artwork and the simplest stories that are quite absurd and full of oddities.

It also made me wonder about the nature of life on a planet so small that you can just walk all around it in a matter of minutes. I felt nostalgic perhaps because such a planet was the home of King Kai from Dragonball Z, a favorite anime from my childhood. I remember wondering similarly when I watched the series back then. Small one man planets fascinate me!

Well, enough beating around the bush, the book is the story of a man who comes across a strange little boy (prince?) in the middle of a desert and goes on to learn more about this boy and his exploits for the rest of the story, from little hints and anecdotes that he tells him. Little does he know that he has learned more about himself and his life than he has about the little prince.

Sublime allegory that everyone must read. A breath of fresh air! Read the excerpts and see for yourself.